Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup fine plain unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 t dried Mediterranean oregano
2 t garlic granules or powder
3 T olive oil, divided use

Spoon Mage™ Note:

The ability of ovens to maintain a consistent temperature, or to change temperature quickly, can vary dramatically. Brand and age both matter. That’s ok. You just need to learn your oven. In this recipe I suggest being particularly mindful during what should be the last 10 minutes of roasting.

Should the cauliflower brown before they become fork tender, reduce the temperature, and cook a few minutes more. Watch carefully. We do not want burnt cauliflower. Don’t try to recover the pan with foil as the whole point of the brown is crispy goodness and steam will only give you soggy breadcrumbs. Just reduce the temp – or if your oven goes nuts, turn it off, but leave the pan inside to finish the roasting.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with your favorite non-stick spray.

Slice the cauliflower into manageable pieces, break off the florets, rinse them well, pat dry, and pour into the baking pan.

Drizzle with 1 T olive oil, stir to coat, spread the florets out reasonably evenly and cover with foil.

Roast for 12 minutes. This begins the cauliflower cooking time as a steam so you don’t have to steam it in a separate pot.

Meanwhile, place the cheese, bread crumbs, pepper, oregano, and garlic cloves into a small bowl and gently mix.

Remove the pan from the oven, carefully remove the foil, and sprinkle the florets liberally with the bread crumb mix.

Raise the temperature to 425° F.

Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and return the pan to the oven to finish cooking and browning. This should take about 20-25 minutes.

Check for doneness when your florets look as lovely as those in the picture. To test, insert a fork into a large floret. It should slide in easily.

When the florets are both tender and brown, remove the pan from the oven, pour the cauliflower into a pretty serving dish, and present with pride at the table.